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Monthly Archives: January 2014

Earlier today I listed my hopes for 2014, but missed a big one: what I want from the new Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon. Yes, yes, I’m sure there will be plenty of sketches with Justin Timberlake, and yes, I DEFINITELY need more Higgns,

HIGGINS

but for my money, it’s interviews like these that give me hope:

Look at the blend of accents, impressions and impersonations, and how generally relaxed he is with Queen Latifah. Literally just the way they say Ryan Lochte makes me want to say “Jeah!”

Forget all the bells and whistles and recurring sketches: if he can become a great night-to-night interviewer, the way he is with Queen Latifah above, then I think his show will be must-see TV.

Because Woody Allen was just awarded the Cecile B. DeMille award at last Sunday’s Golden Globes, I’ve been thinking about my favorite Woody movies*. Without a doubt, this is the best scene in an Allen movie – no surprise, it comes from his finest film, Annie Hall. Enjoy!

*Not saying I’m a huge Woody Allen fan or anything, but I was the only one of my friends who didn’t walk out of Antz.

Well, as I’ve said before, it’s my blog, so I can do things my way. Sure, I’m about 17 days later than most, but here are some New Year’s Resolutions (more like wishes) for the entertainment industry for 2014. Continue reading →

Every year, the Oscar nominations come out early one January morning. Pundits talk about who got snubbed, which movies got the most nominations, etc. People spend weeks reading tea leaves and seeing which nominees best schmooze the voters. About a week before the ceremony, you start to see articles giving odds on who will win. And that’s just not how I work.

Rather, I like to see the nominations, take a few hours to digest everything, and that make my picks that day. As I recently reminded my family via email, this strategy tends to pay off in my prognostication: I’m not sure a lot of people thought that Adrien Brody would win Best Actor for his work in “The Pianist” the morning the nominations were read. Also, as soon as I read about Baffleck’s snub last year for Best Director, I knew “Argo” would get all kinds of sympathy votes and ultimately would win best picture. Now, let’s be honest: my picks aren’t always right, but I’d say they’re more right than wrong. And, anyway, at least I can say these were my own views, rather than having been affected by any number of pundits over the next few weeks. One other note: I’ve seen a large amount of these movies (12 Years a Slave, American Hustle, Wolf of Wall Street, Nebraska, Gravity, Captain Phillips, Her, Dallas Buyers Club), and even a few that ultimately weren’t nominated (Prisoners, All Is Lost, Inside Llewyn Davis), so I feel like I’m making these picks with confidence.

So: let’s break down the 2014 Oscar race by category. My choices and explanations are in bold: Continue reading →